The Supernatural
The following in an exerpt from the Paradigm By Moonlight book written by Solitaire and published theough Pumpking Publishing. Presented here with the persmission of Solitaire and Pumpking Publishing Paradigm by Moonlight Supernatural experiences have ven recorded since the inception of Darkness Falls and, to a lesser extent, Raven's Grove. Beginning in 1650 AD the residents of Darkness Falls have reported ghostly phenomenon, UFO activity, Men in Black, and cryptids. What is it about these two sister cities that make them so potent when it comes to elements of the supernatural? If you live in Darkness Falls, as I do, then you know that two of every ten homes report activity. Strange lights are seen in the sky and in the vast blackness of Wideview to our north, There are people in Raven's Grove that have given detailed accounts of shambling corpses, rotted flesh sloughing off of bones with each step they take. The newer generation of Darkness Falls population dances to Goth music in the hope that they are being watched by real vampires, whilst hunters and campers report virile encounters with Bigfoot, werewolves, and the Navajo nightmares called Skinwalkers. In the 17th century Darkness Falls was a pirate city. It's large Bay and opening to the ocean as well as its climate made it exceptionally attractive to pirates. There is no telling how many people were killed during this period. During the California Gold Rush Darkness Falls was a haven from trappers and miners, many of whom were murdered oover quarrels about territory, or to have their gold stolen; or they simply died of disease and exposure. Can it be any question, then, that Darkness Falls would be and continues to be traversed by unquiet spirits? More than this, could the spill over from Darkness Falls into Raven's Grove caused the Groves historical record of paranormal events? This book makes no attemmpt to solve the mysteries of the supernatural phenomenon. Rather, together we shall explore some of the most haunted areas of each of these two cities and extrapolate upon the local ghosts and ghost lore that draws in both amateur and professional ghost hunters by the hundreds annually. Darkness Falls Although paranormal and supernatural activity has been reported in Raven's Grove to the East and Wideview to the North, Darkness Falls is unquestionably higher on the supernatural scale that both of these other cities put together. In a simple block of residential homes anywhere in Darkness Falls you will hear of at least two homes experiencing mysterious noises or aromas, footsteps or actual sightings of apparitions. Almost every public building built before 1980 has a record of unexplained phenomena. Outside of Darkness Falls a popular saying is 'if you really want to see a ghost, spend the night anywhere in Darkness Falls.' It's really quite true. There are only a scant handful of famous haunted locations, but below are the three that are most prevalent. The History Lane Theater: Located on the corner of Broodmore and Amsterdam, this regal and now historical landmark has been featured in over a dozen television programs about the supernatural. It has been featured on Ghost Chasers, My Spooky Story, and Ghost Bytes to name a few. History Lane has been voted the most haunted building in Darkness Falls. History Lane first opened its doors for public performances in 1807. It was used ostensibly for opera performances and stage plays but also gained an unsavory reputation as a brothel during the Gold Rush. When the rush ended in 1855 the Theater continued to be used for Shakespeare productions and operas but to no great extent until 1899, when London diva Rebecca Swann set up shop in the theater. Rebecca Swann was already famous for her crystal clear sweeping soprano in her native home. Her original appearance in History Lane was meant to be only a mere five performances but the Diva absolutely fell in love with Darkness Falls and decided to stay. She purchased History Lane outright and promised a minimum of two performances each month. Rebecca Swann put Darkness Falls on every map of the decade. Celebrities, Athletes, film makers, and everyone with a modicum of wealth poured into Darkness Falls to see her perform. Because of the incoming tourist dollars Darkness Falls' wealth grew morbidly obese. It all came to an unforeseen and unexpected end when Rebecca Swann took her own life in 1904. The Diva discovered her husband, Robert, in bed in the Diva's very own dressing room frolicking with one of the stage girls, lovely Laura Hampstead. The Diva shot them both to death. She then sat at her makeup desk, wrote out a note detailing what had happened, and stuck the pistol in her own mouth. The Theater then passed into the hands of the Darkness Falls World Bank. In the late 1930's until 1947 it was used as a hospital for the treatment of war veterans. Many of these find brave soldiers expired on the premises. During the 1950s the Theater was used as an orphanage which caught fire in 1956, trapping two staff workers and 12 children. It was rebuilt and refurbished in the early 1980's to serve as a treatment center of AIDS patients, many of whom died on the premises. Finally in 1995 it was purchased by the Darkness Falls Historical Society, restored to its theatrical brilliance, and named as a historical landmark. Tours are available year round for $12.00 for adults and $4.00 for children. For tickets, please call 1-805-555-7592 or book a tour at HistoryLane.com. The activity within History Lane is, in a word, intense. There are reports of footsteps, doors opening and closing by themselves, a woman crying and children screaming. Phantom odors include the smell of smoke, roasted human flesh, and the Diva's favorite coconut oil-based perfume. Apparitions of Laura Hamstead, a burning child surrounded in phantom flames, a limping fur trapper, a wandering soldier, and the Diva Rebecca Swann herself have all been seen. Having myself lead an investigation into the theater, my team and I also experienced odd sounds, collected an EVP of a woman saying 'not now', and laid eyes on the spirit of Rebecca Swann herself as she glided down the massive marble staircase in the foyer of the theater. The Sobeknefru Museum: Located on Highway Park Avenue, this beautifully lavished building hosts a museum entirely dedicated to Ancient Egypt. On display here are priceless items such a pottery, jewelry of gold and turquoise and lapis, statues and statuettes, weapons, an entire Egyptian chariot and, of course, mummies. It also puts on display the Unknown Cartouche (pictured) which spells out A-Nu-Peh. Experts are still divided as to whether or not this cartouche gives the name of a previously unknown Pharaoh. Witnesses to the paranormal activity here have reported hearing sudden screams both male and female, footsteps, and electronic equipment that abruptly stops working,. In August of 2018 the alarms of the museum were suddenly triggered at 2 o'clock in the morning. When law enforcement responded they found that one area of the display had been disturbed. One of the statues of the Pharaoh Menke had been overturned. The statue weighs a little over a ton. One of the solid gold sarcophagi had been opened, and the entire sarcophagus, weighing nearly 2,000 lbs, had been moved to the other side of the room. There were no signs of illegal entry. Subsequent review of the security footage, which was leaked to the public, shows the statue gently toppling and the sarcophagus moving both of their own accord. The Cherished Memories Cemetery, the largest cemetery in Paradigm City and located in the San Roque district is a positive hot spot for supernatural activity. Like the History Lane theater, the Cemetery has been featured on a number of television shows centered on the supernatural. A handful of these programs featured local celebrities Jack and Julia Walsh. The former is a parapsychologist while the latter, his daughter, is widely regarded and respected as the most prominent psychic mind of the century. Visitors to the Cemetery report hearing hushed conversations and whispered voices, being touched and caressed by unseen hands, and feeling frigidly cold spots. Numerous cell phone videos, investigator cameras, and photographs exist showing numerous orbs and apparitions among the beautiful headstones and mausoleums. While many of these have been debunked and proven to be faked there are many more that to date have stood up to scrutiny and pronounced authentic. The Cherished Memories Cemetery is the flocking to spot on every Halloween night. Scores of tourists and ghost hunters take guided tours through the Cemetery, set up investigations, and just party and get drunk during the celebrations. Vampires A scroll through the numerous occult forums and chat rooms in and about Darkness Falls reveals that the population is divided about the existence of vampires in the district. For the purposes of such documents and this book we now to refer to the truly undead vampires. There are many whom are absolutely convinced that at least five undead vampires make their homes in Paradigm City. We know that two of these vampires: Liquid '''in Darkness Falls and '''Lord Vicious in Millennium City are products of natural genetic mutation or genetic tinkering. This lady and gent profess themselves to be true vampires and, indeed, have some powers equatable to the legendary vampires of lore. Liquid has meta-human strength and resistance to injury. Lord Vicious subsists on blood, has meta-human strength, and burns in sunlight but it has been proven factually that both are not true undead. So, what of the other three? A very popular target for the pointing fingers is Salazar Obertus, an antiquarian who makes his home in The Row area of Millennium City. Posh and proper, the dignified older gentleman seems quite out of place in an area that is tantamount to a war zone. A great many on forums and in chat rooms say that Obertus must be a vampire as he and his family are never subject to the lethal violence of The Row. Indeed, even the Advent Overlord called Scarecrow seems to be frightened of Mr. Obertus. Popular rumor subsists on the idea of a lady vampire in Wideview whom travels with a back of large mastiff hounds and kills the poor rejects of science and genetic manipulation whom seek asylum in Wideview. Of the third vampire, there is no evidence to present to confirm that this vampire of Millennium City actually exists. Pumpkin Jack In particular, Darkness Falls is home to or seems to attract very five distinct supernatural entities that only manifest at certain times of the year. Here is the full accounting of the creatures known as the Spirits of Darkness Falls starting with the most legendary of all. Pumpkin Jack: This horrific entity manifests in The Cherished Memories Cemetery every Halloween night proper, appearing at 11 PM and lingering about until roughly 2 AM. Those with smart sense know to evacuate the Cemetery before it appears for Pumpkin Jack is a murderer. As of this writing five people: three individual amateur ghost hunters and a a paranormal investigative due have waited in the cemetery for Jack's appearance. On November 1st 1979, photographer James Harnell was found dead in the Cemetery after his wife phoned police to inform them that her husband had not returned home at the time Harnell told his wife to expect him. His body, mangled, was found on the far side the Cemetery. He appears to have been dragged there from across the Cemetery. The bones of both legs and in his left arm had been pulverized and the body was half-eaten. As far as the residents of Darkness Falls went, this murder solidified Pumpkin Jack as a real being rather than the urban myth he had been since the first report of him in 1688. On Halloween night of 1984 husand and wife duo Mark and Callista Reagan told their friends that they were going to stay in the Cemetery and capture Jack on film. When neither of returned home or reported to work by November 3rd the police were called. Both bodies were found minutes after investigators arrived. Mark Reagan had been disemboweled and his spine had been severed in three places. He, too, had been partially eaten. Callista Reagan was found propped up against a tree, nude, with her hands resting on a large jack o'lantern.. She had been torn completely in half. The police conducted an investigation to find the killer, making an assumption that the couple had been killed by an unknown, albeit human, antagonist. The Medical Examiner released her report on November 16th. She stated that the bite marks on Mr. Reagan had been inflicted with bite marks too large to be human or any kind of known animal, as were the claw marks. She stated that the spacing of the bite marks and the claw marks would have had to have been inflicted by a creature at least eight feet tall. The report for Mrs. Reagan was never released. Pumpkin Jack was identified and battled on October 31, 1998, at 11:30 PM. Responding to screams of terror coming from the heart of the Cemetery the heroes Heatwave, Straightedge, and Ember saw Jack with their own eyes and took the above photo as the creature raced at them. The heroes were too late to save the young man whom had been screaming. The heroes battled Pumpkin Jack to a standstill until 2 AM, when he promptly vanished. Following two further slayings, the town council imposed a 10:00 PM curfew for the Cemetery which is to this day strictly enforced. Luckily enough, Pumpkin Jack is either unwilling or unable to leave the Cemetery. I myself, along with my peers Foxfire, Brahma, Girl Wonder, and Flourish have battled Pumpkin Jack in Halloweentown. The entity seems to reside there, and may be the location from which he manifests. The spirit is eight feet tall, with a thin humanoid torso draped in a tattered white shirt and dirty, shredded grey slacks. Where a head would normally be found are instead six jack-o'lanterns of various sizes. These heads laugh, howl, and breathe fire. Measures have been taken to ensure Jack no longer has any victims to prey upon. We are trying to discover the means by which the monster enters our world so that we may seal him out of the Cemetery and our world entirely. To continue reading please click this link: The Supernatural Page 2.